OK got it! Thanks for all your help. I just emailed a ton of questions to the window company asking for details and for the exact CPD numbers of the windows (and about the drip cap/flashing) they are offering us. Will update you as soon as I get a response.

Thanks for all your sound advise and guidance. Geeze this is more work than getting a new house or car. That was easier for us, lol.

As HomeSealed has shared with you you need great product and better advise .Will it cost you more, maybe up front, but you will not be disappointed or have to do it twice( that is never cheaper).That is why I so strongly suggest that yo ucontact WOW.

Thanks, Will contact them. I'm still waiting for a response from the window company, but I was doing a bit of research and I saw that the windows are AAMA Gold Certified. What exactly does that mean?, What information do I need to obtain from the window place to verify agaist AAMA standard, ect... Does that mean if they are AAMA Gold Certified it's a good quality window???Thought/Coments??

The Gold label is a good thing whether it is from AAMA or one of the other laboratorys that do structural testing, however it does not necessarily mean that it is a good product, it just meets minimum standards. For instance, you could have two windows, one with an air infiltration rating of .29 and another of .01, and they can both be gold label certified. The label itself is fine, but it is the actual ratings (AI and DP) that you want to use to compare one product to another as there can be significant differences in "tightness" due to design, build quality, manufacturing tolerances, etc.

That depends on what options the window has such as sash reinforcement, etc. I've never been one to set a specific number as a threshold, but generally speaking if you can get a AI of .10 or lower with a welded, sloped sill, that is a pretty good sign. There are some products under .05, and that is an elite level. To put that in perspective, most windows run somewhere between .15-.25.On DP, most of the better products will be at R50 or higher with reinforcement, some even achieve that without reinforcement.Keep in mind that there can be exceptions to every rule, but those are some general parameters... They are certainly more reliable than most sales presentations that you'll hear.

Ok thx for the infor. Another question. What is are laws for tempered glass requirements. I was told that we dont need tempered glass by some ppl and others says if Windows are 18 inches from floor it's a must to have tempered glass otherwise it won't pass county codes and if we ever sell house we have to replace the bottom sashes. We live no NOVA and house built in 2000. What is aA good website to search for this info

Thanks for the website. I will take a look at it. Our children are past the rambunctious stage, and our house curently has the builder grade windows when we first purchased the house in 2000, and they currently are double pane and no tempered glass(children at that time survived that & Thank God never had a window break), and no argon gas in them.

We're now considering an Alside Ultimate 2000 series with Argon Gas, Double pane SST warm edge Spacer(non-metal design) with Low E, Sloarban 60 Climatech Plus glass Package, the windows are completely and fully Welded(including the capture sill. This particular window is not a sloped sill) for our double hung windowsFor our big entry way picture window we're considering the Climatech Elite glass Package as we get way too much sun entering the home that it even affected our front wood door. We decided on this glass for the entry way b/c it has a better SHGC we think it needs. The original choice for our entry way was a Triple pane Climatech TG2, but it had a much lower VT and the glass almost appeared greenish in tint(too dark for us). So we got a better SHGC, but comprimised just a tad on the U Factor for this window. We know it's not an Anderson, or a Marvin, ect..., but we feel these specs cover what we're looking for and it falls within our budget, and upon viewing the window thoroughly we don't feel we're sacrificing quality. I hope we're not making a bad decision, as we truly feel we have researched the best quality within our budget. No gonna take a look at the website you suggested for the tempered glass option to see if we really need it.

Thanks to all for your great advise and wonderful guidance throughtout this decision making,Buca

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